John Stokes is the director of the city of Fort Collins Department of Natural Resources.

There have been several recent media reports about the potential for oil exploration and/or production activities on city-owned lands, including Soapstone Prairie Natural Area and Meadow Springs Ranch. These are valued properties, and the city is developing strategies to avoid, minimize and mitigate surface impacts to key resources.

Acquired by the city in 2004, Soapstone is managed for its natural and cultural values as well as recreation and livestock grazing. Meadow Springs is utilized primarily for the application of bio-solids, a byproduct of wastewater treatment. Meadow Springs also is managed for its natural and cultural resource values and livestock grazing.

When the city of Fort Collins and its partners acquired Soapstone Prairie Natural Area and the adjoining Red Mountain Open Space (owned and managed by Larimer County) the mineral rights underlying these properties were not included. In Colorado, sub-surface minerals are often "severed" from the surface. In the case of Soapstone Prairie, the underlying minerals were sold or traded up to 100 years ago.

Ideally, a land buyer would acquire the severed mineral rights. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to reunite the minerals with the surface estate. This generally is the case because mineral rights are expensive; owners typically place a very high price on the potential for future income. In the case of Soapstone Prairie, the city knew at the time of purchase that the mineral rights were severed. In fact, the city contracted the services of a professional geologist to conduct a minerals assessment, which determined the likelihood of mineral extraction was low.

In recent years, however, several important changes have occurred in the oil industry that could alter that likelihood. The changes include the ability to drill in multiple directions and the enhanced ability to fracture the surrounding bedrock to extract small, yet commercially viable, amounts of oil.

As a result of these changes, there has been a significant increase in oil exploration and production in northeastern Colorado, in particular Weld County.

Given these developments, city staff are determining the city's best course of action. It is important to note that under current state law the city's ability to stop a mineral owner from accessing its minerals under city-owned properties is very limited. The city can, however, negotiate and enter into surface use agreements that help protect the natural and cultural values of the properties.

In addition, city and county staff have been engaged by the Colorado State Board of Land Commissioners, or SLB, and The Nature Conservancy to participate in an Energy-by-Design, EbD, planning process on Soapstone Prairie Natural Area, Meadow Springs Ranch, and Red Mountain Open Space.

The SLB owns about one-third of the mineral rights in the area and is sponsoring the planning process. The goal is to develop an approach that carefully plans for the preservation of key natural, recreational, landscape view, agricultural and cultural resource values while providing reasonable access to mineral interests.

You also may have heard about the city of Fort Collins' efforts to establish oil and gas extraction regulations within city limits. It is important to note that these potential regulations are not able to be applied to city-owned land outside city limits. For more information on the conversation related to regulations within city limits, visit fcgov.com/oilandgas.

At this time, it is unclear what the immediate future holds for Soapstone Prairie, Meadow Springs Ranch and other city-owned lands, although it is unlikely that any drilling activities will occur in 2012. As the situation develops, the city will provide regular updates to the public.

If you have concerns or questions, feel free to contact the city's Natural Areas Department at (970) 416-2815.